Aeroplane



Oct. 26 1926.

A. DE MUTH AEROPLANE Filed Jan.

2. 1925 V 2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEYS plulfew M\ Oct. 26 1926. ,604,393

A. DE MUTH AEROPLANE Filed Jan. 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTOH/VEYS lao Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

ARMIN' DEMUTH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' AEROPLANE.

Application led January 2, 1925. Serial No. 12.

My invention relates to aeroplanes, and is intended to provide a construction that will A be suitable for carrying considerable weight at great speed, for long distances, and which 5 will exhibit great stability and take up a comparatively small space, especially as regards width.

For this purpose, I have provided a plurality of wings arranged at different levels and at different distances from the nose or bow and stern of the aeroplane, and have also devised a novel arrangement of propellers and their motors or driving mechanisnr. The invention and its advantages will now be fully described, and the novel features pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating, as an example, an aeroplane embodying my present improvements, Fig. 1 being a plan View of the aeroplane, Fig. 2 a front or bow elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 a side elevation` while Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections on .lines 4-4 and 5--5 of Figs. 1 and 2 respectively; and Fig. 6 is a diagram of the electric circuits con trolling the motors.

The body or fuselage 10 of the aeroplane is of any suitable'construction, with provision for the accommodation of crew and 80 passengers as well as freight. At 11 I have indicated portholes for observation and other purposes. Slightly forward of the middle portion of the body 10, two longitudinal hollow stays 12 rise from such body at its outer edges, and the upper ends of these stays arelconnectcd with the central wing 13 which extends `clear across. In addition thereto, I provide two transversely-aligning forward wings 14, and two `transverselyaligning rear wings 15, eXtendingoutwardly from the upper portion of the body 10. These wings 14, 15 are therefore at a lower level than the central wing 13. The latter is of considerably greater length or spread than either the forward or the rear wings, these being of substantially equal spreadl The length of' the body 10 is materially greater than the spread of the central wing 13, and by this construction, in ,conjunc- 50 tion with the provision of a plurality of wings or supporting surfaces at different levels, I am enabled to reducethe wing spread considerably.

The wings 13, 14, 15 are hollow, and contain the six motors 16 for driving the propellers 17 18, 19 arranged at the front edges of said wings, in pairs. f

The shafts of the front propellers 17 are preferably inline with those of the rear propellers 19, but the propellers 18 of the 60 central wing 13 are farther apart than those of the front pair 17 or the rear pair 19. It will be understood that the two propellers of the same'pair are at the same distance' from the longitudinal center of the aero- 0l plane. l

Another pair of propellers, 20, is located at the front edge of the central wing 13, but closer together than the front propellers 17 and rear propellers 19. These propellers 20 70 are driven by'motors 16 located within the hollow stays 12, -and the latter are large enough to admit members of the crew, and also to contain accessories such as storage tanks for the gasoline used in the motors. The hollow stays may be provided with portholes 11". Fig. 1 shows that these stays are formed more or less 'like torpedoes, thisy stream-line shape reducing resistance. I prefer to make the motors 16 much more 30 powerful than the motors 16; for instance, each motor 16 might be of 450 horsepower, and each of the motors 16a from 800 to 1000 horsepower. The propellers 20 and their motors 16a are at a level slightly below that of the propellers 18 and their motors.

The motors 16a located within the stays 12 are readily accessible from opposite sides of the body 10 through suitable doors or passages (not shown). The motors 16 and o 16a are readily controlled from a central point in or on the body 10, where I-should also locate the controls for the horizontal rudder 21 and the vertical rudder-22 as well as for the ailerons or movable wing-tips 23, 24 located at the ends of the central wing 13 and rear wingsf15 respectively. No ailerons are shown on the front wings 14. v

The central wing 13 constitutes the main supporting surface of the aeroplane, and the other wings act as auxiliary or stabilizing surfaces. At the front surface formed by the wings 14 lies below. the level of the central wing 13, the latter lwill receive the air currents from the front wings. The rearsurface formed by the wings 15 will by its motors and propellers secure a uniform rearward distribution of the other air currents or whirls. A ,very high degree of stabilityl is thus obtained. .11

vin operation at the same timex The pair of eXtra powerful motors 16El and their propellers 2O will be amply suiiicient to propel the aeroplane. In fact, the pair of propellers 17'will suffice for such propulsion, although at a lower speed, or I might use the propellers 18 alone, or the propellers 19 alone. The speed and power may be increased by putt-ing two or more pairs of propellers the two motors 16av of much greater power than the motors 16', I am able to hold`the six motors 1'6 and their propellers idle or in reserve, without reducing the speed very much from' the full speed obtained with al eight propellers running.

A suitable arrangement for enabling the motors to be started (or stopped) either single or in pairs, is illustrated diagrammatically byFig. 6. `At 21 I have indicated the storage batteries or other sources of electricity for the electric ignition systems of the two motors 16, and atL21 the batteries for the six motors 16, the eight motors being indicated in substantially the same relation as the one that Fig. l indicates for the respective propellers. A. wire 22 connects one pole of the 'battery 21 with one terminal of the electric ignition system of the motor 16g, and from the other pole of this battery a wire 23 leads to one terminal 211 or 25 of a single-throw, double-pole switch 26. The movable switch members connected with the terminals 24, 25 respectively are adapted to engage contacts 27, 28 respectively connected by wires 29 with the ther terminals of the respective ignition systems. It will be evident that with the switch in the on position illustrated, the ignition systems of both motors 16a will be in circuit,so that `both motors of this pair will be operated., with the corresponding propellers 20. In order to enable the operator to start only one motor of the pair or to stop either one or both motors of the pair, I have provided two additional switches 30, 31, which are of the single-pole type, and movable independently of each other and of the switch 26. These switches 30, 31 are permanently connected with the f respective wires 23, and are adapted for en-l of only the left hand motor-16a; a similar operation ofthe switch 31 alone, will throw in this ignition of only the right handmotor 16a. If both motors are to be operated simultaneously, the switch 26 will be used.

Ignition controlling mechanism of the By having same character as has been just described in connection with t-he pair or motors 16, is also provided in connection with the three pairs of motors 16, as will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 6 in which reference numerals with indices, lare employed to designate the correspondng parts connected with the motors 1'6.

I desire it to be understood that mechanism of the same character as shown in the diagram Fig. 6, maybe employed to control the electric starting motors for the individual internal combustion engines 16 and 161. That is, the aer0pla`ne.might have one set of switch mechanism for controlling the ignition systems after the fashion eX- plained in connection with Fig. 6, and another set of exactly the same character for controlling the several electric startingk motors ofthe respective engines. The illustration Fig. 6 will do for the both sets of mechanisms, according as we assume to the wires 22, 29 and 22", 29 to be connected with the ignition systems or with the electric starters. In the latter case, springs or other devices of well-known character would preferably be employedfto keep the switches 26, 30 and 31 normally in the open position and to return them to such position when they are released, so that the respective starter circuits would be interruped automatically as soon as the switches are released.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

It will be understood that the term aeroplane as used herein is to be given abroad interpretation, so as to include hydro-aeroplane er so-called flying boats, etc.

I claim:

1. An aeroplane having front, rear, and intermediate wings, and pairs of propellers on said wings, the intermediate wing having a greater number of such pairs than the other` wings,

2. An aeroplane having a body, hollow stays rising from said body, a hollow wing connected with the upper ends of said stays, motors. within said wing. outer propellers driven by said motors, other motors located within the stays, and inner propellers driven by said other motors and located at/a. lower level than said outer propellers.

3. An aeroplane having a body., hollow 'i no,

stays rising from'said body, a wing connected with the upper ends of said stays, motors within said staysinner propellers driven by said motors, and located adjacent to theA front edge of said wing, outer propellers likewise located adjacent, to such front edge, and means for driving said outer propellers.

4.. An aeroplane having a body, hollow stays rising from said body, a wing connected with the upper-ends of said stays,

motors within said stays, inner propellers driven by said motors and located adjacent to the -front edge of said wing, outer propellers likewise located adjacent to such front edge, but at a higher level than the inner propellers, and means lfor driving said outer propellers.

5. An aeroplane having a plurality of propelling mechanisms arranged in pairs and internal combustion engines for ac tuating said mechanisms in combination with individual switches cach controlling the ignition system of one engine, and main switches each controlling the ignition systems of both engines of the same pairs.

6. An. aeroplane having a plurality of propelling mechanisms arranged in groups and internal combustion engines for actuating said mechanisms in combination with individual switches each controlling the ignition system of one engine` and main switches each controlling theignition systems of all engines of the same group.

7. An aeroplane having a plurality of propelling mechanisms arranged in pairs and internal combustion engines lfor actuating said mechanisms, in combination with individual electric starters for said engines,

individual switches each controlling the.

starter of one engine, and main switches each controlling both starters of the same pair of engines.

8. An aeroplane having a plurality of propelling mechanisms arranged in groups and internal combustion engines for actuating said-mechanisms, in combination with pair of propellers on each of said wings.

ARMIN DEMUTH. 

